Foul play not suspected in death of Juneau man

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Juneau police responded to a report of a death along Egan Drive shortly after 7 this morning. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)

Story updated 2:52 p.m.

Juneau police says foul play is not suspected in the death of a Juneau homeless man whose body was found near Egan Drive this morning.

Juneau police says foul play is not suspected. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)

A man was found lying between a wood wall and chain link fence in the area of the Coast Guard subport parking lot across Egan Drive from the Goldbelt Hotel at 7:16 am, according to a release by Juneau police.

“We do believe he may have been struggling with a substance abuse problem and that can make people vulnerable in a number of ways – the substance itself, the weather, other illnesses,” says Lt. Kris Sell.

Lt. Sell says police have no listed residence for John.

He was a frequent visitor to Juneau’s soup kitchen in recent years. Glory Hole cook Michael Monte says John was a good friend:

“When I heard about it this morning, it really hurt me. I wish I was there to help him before all this happened.”

Monte last saw John a couple months ago.

As part of the investigation, communications director Erann Kalwara says Juneau police spoke with two individuals that were in the area this morning and know John personally.

The state medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Kalwara says John’s relatives in Juneau have been notified.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect new information from Juneau police department’s Lt. Kris Sell.

Story updated 10:41 a.m.

A body of a man was found lying down between a wood wall and a chain link fence in the area of the Coast Guard subport parking lot across Egan Drive from the Goldbelt Hotel at 7:16 a.m., according to a release by Juneau police department.

One lane of inbound travel on Egan Drive was closed this morning during part of the investigation.

In the release, Juneau police says foul play is not suspected at this point.

The state medical examiner will be conducting an autopsy to assist in determining the cause of the death.

Story updated 9:19 a.m.

The scene has been cleared. Both lanes of traffic are now open.

Original Story: 8:39 a.m.

The Juneau Police Department is investigating a death near the intersection of Whittier Street and Egan Drive. Police arrived on the scene sometime after 7 a.m. this morning.

One lane of inbound travel on Egan is shut down..

This is an ongoing story. Check back here for updates.

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